The pictures on your website tell the story of you and your business. They should evoke emotions and help connect you to your website visitors. What kind of images are on your website? And, more importantly, why? You may be surprised, but it’s not difficult to create cool graphics for your website, even if you don’t have any design experience!
Stock photos are a great option for high-quality photos for your website. However, sometimes, you may want to change or add text to that image. In that case, you can create a graphic for your website or social media platform YOURSELF!
I know what you’re thinking. “Where do I start”? Great question!
In the article and training video below, I outline the seven steps to creating a graphic. This is the same process I use to create all my graphics!
How To Create Cool Graphics For Your Website:
1) Pick A Shape for Your Graphic
The first step is to decide what shape to make your graphic. You’ll need to decide if you will make a square, rectangle, tall pillar, long banner, postcard shape, etc. Or you can combine shapes together and have a square shape with a heart or star, etc. If you’re just starting, keep it simple. You can always try something more complex later on.
2) Pick A Tool to Create Your Graphic
Now that you have decided on your shape, you need to decide which image editing tool you want to use to create your graphic. A couple of free tools that I like are Canva and IPiccy. Different image editing tools will allow you to do different things, so think about what you want and then pick the appropriate tool.
3) Pick An Image as the Basis for Your Graphic
Now that you’ve decided on your shape and image editing tool, you move on to the FUN part! Pick your main image. Either a free photo, stock photo, illustration, or your own photo/graphic.
4) Add Text And More to Your Graphic
Add the appropriate text to your image. It could be an inspirational quote, a Bible verse, a poem, etc. You may also want to add an overlay and put your text on top. You also want to add your watermark, which is your name and/or business name (if applicable). My watermark is @ChristinaHills | WebsiteCreationWorkshop.com. You’ll also add extras (shapes, flowers, stars, arrows, speech bubbles, etc.)
5) Save Your New Graphic Image to Your Computer
Double-check that your image looks the way you want it and that you have cropped out anything you don’t want in it. Then, you’ll want to save your image from the image editing tool/software. But what file format do you want/need? Do you want a .png or .jpg? I like saving images as .pngs—they seem sharper and crisper.
6) Compress Your Graphic Image to Make it Light
If you upload the image to your website, you’ll want to compress it to make it smaller. Why do I need to do that, you might ask? Great question! We compress images for our websites because they load faster, don’t slow your website down, and don’t take up more space on your server than needed. You may skip this step if you only use your images for social media.
7) Share Your Graphic On Social Media or Your Website/Blog
Now, you’re to step 7. You’ve learned a lot, taken the idea from your mind, and created a beautiful graphic yourself! Share your image on social media or upload it to your website/blog. Woo Hoo!
Create Your First Graphic
Now, it’s your turn. Follow these seven simple steps to create a graphic for your WordPress site or social media platform.
Want to see the process on video? Watch my free training below to see how simple it is to create cool graphics for your website (even if you’re not a designer).
(Originally Appeared Feb 2018, Updated Nov 2024)
